The Last Human
by VannuroRB
Summary: With human population at the fringe of disappearing, Yami struggles to survive in the new world, a world where simply being human can grant you a quick death.
1. Chapter 1

So, remember when I said I wouldn't do anymore vampire stories?  
I lied!

* * *

Chapter 1~

The change came slowly, but it was inevitable, quietly bringing round the change for the world and humanity. The small handful of people that it started with stayed quiet, clinging together like a cult, and keeping their secret to themselves. However, a select few opted to add more to their society, whom then added their own individuals to the group. The offer for a better unknown spread like a disease, soon travelling across the oceans and lands, until there were only few who resisted the change. Many decades had passed, and the population of the world had come to a near stop, sustaining only immortal lives. Those who found beauty in immortality, and the sweetness of blood, those who called themselves the vampires.

The infestation took control on every aspect of society; government, business, health, army. Those who had reason to live longer, willingly changed themselves into the vampires, and took pledge to an everlasting life. There was no reason to be human anymore, and death became a figment of fear, only haunting those in their dreams.

A small collection of remaining humans resisted the urge to join the others, fearing what would happen to them if they did, or found that drinking blood was too monstrous for them. Society found it hard to shift as long as humans still existed, wondering how they could live in their new found peace, while their old shadows lied within the remaining humans. But they found a neutral ground, and humans were allowed to coexist in harmony with the others, just like nothing had changed between them. But as the decade slowly approached, humans continued to disappear, and with new born renegade groups arising, humans were near extinction.

The cities and towns they used to live in, soon became barren of human life, and the villages they had formed were easily raided by the renegades. Humans were a rarity, and with their valued source of blood, almost everyone had a reason to hunt any survivors. Whether they wanted humans for food, or to bring about their deaths, humans were the hot trend in civilisation. But it did little to keep the human population alive, and numbers still decreased when society hit the twenty-second century, and the outcome for human survival only continued to look grim by the year.

Despite the bleak ending for the human race, one human did make it out alive from a terrible experience, and live out the most of his life in the city of Domino.

As the night dragged along, so did young Yami. The teen was sat against the dirty wall, hiding behind an unappealing dumpster, while he let pain consume him for another night. With the lack of decent food he scavenged from the rubbish, composing a decent and healthy meal was difficult, and took its toll on Yami's body. He was surprised by how weak he had become, he was not found sooner or dead from malnutrition, but he always opted to believe that there was a better reason. Whether if he was right or not, he had managed to survive for five years on his own, there had to be some point to his existence, otherwise he would have died sooner. Regardless of this, he was not going to find out his own meaning that night, as he was too drained to even move.

His body was heaped sluggishly in the tight corner of the dumpster and the wall, not even attempting to hide his frail body, and left his legs and feet out in the open to be seen. His eyes were teasing him, wanting to close, but hanging half way down to keep him conscious. And his stomach grumbled in pain, reminding him why he should be moving, but only furthering his want to stay completely still. The only strength he could find himself doing, was softly caressing his fingers over his gun, holding the single bullet he waited to use in defence. It was going to be another night of hunger, where he would be too weak to move himself, and slowly drift off into sleep for a couple of hours. He would still be hungry when he woke up, but he would no doubt have some more strength to move, and would forage for something amongst the trash. It was not pleasant or comfortable, but it was a life, and that was all he could be grateful for.

After listening to the suburban lullaby of passing cars and pedestrians, Yami's stomach gave a gurgle, and sprung a feeling of nausea on the teen. With a groan, the teen pushed himself away from his sitting spot, and stumbled to his feet. As his body strained to deal with the pain of being stretched, Yami's chest began to heave, causing him to cough and hack heavily until he leant against the wall again. His body ached with the urge to vomit, but with nothing inside him and with little strength to do so, it only added more strain to his body. After a few more attempts to retch, Yami was left panting as he fought off the last of the urges, feeling his body gurgle at the empty sensation left in his stomach.

"Hey, you alright mate?" Someone asked, placing a hand on Yami's back.

With a heavy sigh, Yami nodded his head "Y-Yeah…I'm fine…" However, when realising he was talking to someone else, Yami tensed and turned to face the person.

The blond appeared just as scruffy and worn down as Yami was, but with his clear alert look and obvious better health, Yami could only guess that the man lived nearby in one of the apartment buildings. Regardless of who he was, or what he was doing in the area, the only thing that mattered to Yami was that the man in front of him was assuredly a vampire.

"You don't look fine" The man persisted, watching as Yami backed up against the wall "Hell, you look like you haven't eaten in years. Are you homeless?"

"Stay away from me!" Yami yelled, holding up the gun to the man, though feeling the weapon tremble in his tight grasp.

The man raised his brow at the weapon, before looking back at Yami "What, you gonna shoot me or something?"

"I-I will!" Yami warned "I swear I'll shoot you!"

"You don't have the guts" The man challenged, taking a step forward.

"No!" The gun went off, leaving a ringing echo behind in Yami's ears, making the teen cringe at the noise. After a few moments of dealing with the recoil, Yami gazed up at the man again, pressing himself up against the wall again when he realised he had wasted his bullet. Though there was a definite hole where the bullet had entered through his chest, and the seeping red colour on his shirt grew rapidly, the man was unfazed by the wound and reached out to Yami. Again, the teen cringed away from the imminent touch, though eased up when it was just a gentle rub from the end of his sleeve.

"You're so dirty too" The man commented, leaving Yami's cheek alone "You really are like a homeless kid" Yami said nothing, keeping his gaze away, in hopes that the man would leave him alone sooner "You got somewhere to go kid?"

Yami kept silent at the question, turning his head away, praying that the least that could happen was that he was left alone. However, the blond only leaned in closer, tilting his head to the side.

"Well?"

"N-No…"

"No? No parents? On your own?"

"J-Just…l-leave me alone…" Yami whimpered, shrinking further down the wall "Or…kill me…wh-whatever you're going do…"

"Ah, I see" The blond chuckled, before reaching out, and patting Yami on the head "If I wanted to rip your neck out, I wouldn't have asked if you were alright, would I kid?" Yami said nothing, earning a sigh from the male "I was just wondering if you needed to get to the hospital".

With the rumours of doctors draining blood, the offer of being taken to the hospital was uninviting, making the teen shake his head to decline.

"Come on, you need help, you know it" Yami could not deny the fact, regardless, he still said nothing. The blond gave a hum when he saw the teen's reluctance, and stroked his chin while he thought "Well, how about my place?"

"Tch" Was all Yami said.

"And what does that mean?" The blond queried.

"I'm not falling into that trap…" Yami muttered.

"Oh, yeah sure. Come into my deep, dark lair where I'll eat you alive and drain the fluids from your body, 'cause I certainly can't do that down a dark alley can I?" Yami only shrugged, causing the blond to sigh, and roll his eyes "Even if I was going to kill you, will it honestly make much of a difference? If I leave you here, alone, how long will you survive until you starve yourself to death? Or someone else who's not so kind comes along? What have you got to lose?"

Yami eyed the male suspiciously as he tried to give a warming smile; though the obvious danger of following someone—who was also a stranger to him—was clearly present, the idea that he could be somewhere aside from the backstreet, even if it was a death trap, did seem more desiring than sleeping against a dumpster.

"Why me?" Yami asked quietly.

"I have a hobby in picking up homeless kids" The blond chuckled, managing to pull Yami away from the wall, and get him to walk closely as they entered the suburban streets.

"What, like a paedophile?"

"Yeah, just like one of them".

Though the obvious joke was there, Yami only gave a hum as a response, and said "I'm not a kid…"

"Sure you aren't kid" The blond teased, but kept Yami walking through the streets.

The walk through the numerous streets was peaceful to say the least, only a couple of cars passed them, and they did not seem to notice Yami was different from the rest. The blond kept Yami close to him at all times however, though after a couple of stumbling steps, Yami chose to believe it was in case he would pass out from exhaustion.

Soon, the blond pulled Yami towards a large bulky building, an apartment building. It was not surprising for Yami, and let the man help him up the stairs, and walk him to his apartment door. After fishing out his keys, the man unlocked the apartment, and walked in ahead of Yami to turn the lights on and take off his jacket.

"Alright, make yourself at home kid" He encouraged, tossing his jacket to the sofa, and turning to the kitchen "I'll start cooking something. You want anything in particular?"

"Pardon?" Yami asked, taken back by the choice.

"You know, food wise" He explained, walking around in the small kitchen area, and taking out various ingredients to use "I can guess you want something warm, but, I dunno what you like and stuff".

"I'm…good…with anything really" Yami explained, shutting the door behind him, and looking around the cramp apartment.

Though it seemed that cleanliness was not the first priority on the man's list, it was tidier than the alley Yami was staying in, and no doubt healthier too. It was also small, though not as small as Yami had known most apartments to be, considering there was clearly more than one room. A gap in the wall where a corridor was, which presumably had the bedroom and bathroom, made the apartment bigger by a small degree. It was fit enough for one person, and just by simply being in the apartment, Yami felt that he was already invading the space provided.

"I'm Joey".

At the sound of his voice, Yami broke away from his thoughts, and turned to the kitchen "What?"

"My name, it's Joey" Joey walked out from the kitchen, pulling off his blood soaked shirt, and allowing his wounded chest to be seen "Just thought you'd like to know".

"Um…Yami" Yami introduced, wincing slightly at the visible flesh he could see.

Joey tossed his shirt aside, letting it bundle up on another old and abandoned shirt, before nodding to the gun in Yami's hand "You got any more bullets in that thing?" Yami looked down at the gun, shaking his head as an answer "Good, you can keep it then".

"What were you going to do if it did have more?" Yami queried.

"Take it off you of course" Joey answered, turning as he opened the door to the bedroom, walking inside "I'm not going to let you have a second shot at me, blow my brains out and all".

"Oh…"

Joey rummaged around in the bedroom, making the odd quiet comments to himself, before walking out with a new clean shirt. After walking into the kitchen again, Joey pulled his shirt on over his head, and turned back to what he had left cooking on the stove. Yami watched the blond for a few moments, before approaching the small table, and sitting himself down at it. Placing his gun on the chair next to him, Yami let his body lean onto the table, and cushioned it with his arms. The small sounds of the spoon hitting the edge of the pan, and the faint mumble of the city street outside, was somewhat soothing to Yami as he let his eyes gently shut on him. Even if he was in the presence of danger, there was little he could do to protect himself, so the last few minutes of sleep that his life would get was more than what he desired.

"Hey, you dead on me?" Yami opened his eyes at Joey's voice, lifting his head as a steaming bowl was placed next to him "Try not to pass out, okay? That's not a good sign".

Yami sat himself up and pulled the bowl closer, looking in at the murky noodle soup meal in front of him, smelling the strong aroma of flavour coming from the bowl. Joey sat himself opposite Yami, watching the teen admire the food, before apprehensively picking up the pair of chopsticks that came with the bowl.

"Probably not the most filling of foods…but good enough right?" Joey raised his brow as Yami began to eat, not stopping to take a break, or to reply to Joey's comment "Your welcome".

Yami continued to forcefully swallow down the food, despite its burning heat in his mouth, and his stomach protesting about the sudden rush of nutrients. With the food nearly gone, Yami managed to place the bowl down, and take a few deep breaths to start eating again. Guiding the remaining strands of the soup into his mouth, Yami swallowed it in one gulp, and set the bowl down again as he rubbed his mouth clean with the back of his hand.

"Good?" Joey queried.

"Yeah…really good" Yami complimented.

"Well I'm glad you enjoyed it" Joey rested his head in one hand "So, what's your next plan then?"

"Huh? Oh…" Yami looked down to the brown stained bowl, shrugging his shoulders "I don't know…go back to the alley I suppose…"

"You really don't have anywhere to go, do you?" Yami shook his head dismally, and looked down as Joey hummed, and tapped his finger against the side of his face "Well…I don't know how much you trust me now, but, you're welcome to stay here if you like".

Yami lifted his head up at Joey again "What? Really?"

"Sure. I've kinda wanted a roommate anyway, and you look like you need it more than anyone else, what do you say?"

Yami only stared at Joey in disbelief, paralysed by the offer of a home, before shaking his head "I don't know what I'm supposed to say to that…"

Joey shrugged his shoulders, and gave a casual smile "How about 'thanks Joey, you're the best'?"

"That's not what I mean" Yami corrected, giving a frown to the blond as he did so "You expect me to believe that you'd feed me, be willing to let me stay in your home, without having a single thought of killing, just because you have a good heart? I can't believe that".

Joey sighed, and let his head roll to the side slightly "I know. I don't know what you've seen or had done to you, but I know you won't trust me. But, I don't know how else to show you can trust me. I mean, I've helped out other kids but I-"

"Others?" Yami interrupted "Like me?"

"Yeah. A couple of them".

Yami then gave a suspicious glare, as he looked around the apartment once more, noting it was just the two of them "So where are they then?"  
"Gone. They've got their own life now. I'm not going to leash them to this crappy apartment" Joey then took his head out of his hand, and rested his arms on the table, leaning closer to Yami "I can give you food, and shelter, and anything else you want. I mean, it's small, but this place has got to be better than behind a dumpster, am I right?" Yami was still not convinced, and turned to look down at the bowl, seeing odd drops of juice trickle down the sides "I can also protect you from others. Make them believe your one of us".

Yami lifted his head again "What? How?" Yami asked curiously.

"Well I take a bit of your blood and then…" Joey trailed off when seeing Yami's glare, and with a small roll of his eyes, continued "Yeah, I know, it sounds fishy. But that's how it works. And it works, I know it does, can't you trust me on that?"

Yami's eyes flicked towards his gun briefly, regretting wasting the bullet a while back, before turning back to Joey "Does…it turn me into one of you?"

"No. You'll just stink like one of us".

"Will it…hurt?"  
"Apparently, it hurts like a bitch. But I'll try to be gentle".

Yami chewed on his lip, knowing that it could have easily been a trap, and he would be sealing his fate. However, Joey had made a point earlier on, what did he have to lose? The life he had now, he could barely call a life, just a fleeting existence. There would soon be a time where he won't find food in time, or he would be preyed upon, he would die sooner or later.

"Show me".

"Show you? You sure".

Yami nodded "If you say you can help me, and won't hurt me, then you won't kill me will you?"  
"No, I won't. Promise" Joey then stood up, pushing the chair back in, before standing away from the table "Alright, it's better to stand up".

Yami stood up from the table, and after looking back to his only weapon, stood in front of Joey. The blond shrugged his shoulders free quickly, before pulling the neck of Yami's shirt, hooking it over his shoulder. With his skin exposed, Yami felt more vulnerable than before, and unconsciously cringed his bare shoulder to his neck. Despite this, Joey managed to push Yami's shoulder down, lean in to the crook of his neck. Yami's body shivered at the heatless breath, and his eyes closed tightly, fear already setting in his veins. Joey lightly pressed his teeth against Yami's skin, before pressing it in, and sinking it deeper into his neck.

As soon as he felt the teeth plunge in, Yami let out a pained scream, and grasped at Joey desperately. He tried to force the blond off of him, but he was incredibly weak, and could only scrabble at Joey's shirt. With the shock and pain coming from it, Yami passed out easily, and flopped within Joey's arms.

When feeling the teen fall limp, Joey quickly pulled away from Yami's neck, letting loose blood dribble from his lips. He checked to see if Yami was alright, and when seeing no signs of any danger, gave a sigh and hoisted Yami up.

"Damnit" Joey cursed, before resting Yami over his shoulder, and carrying Yami into his bedroom.

Once Yami was laid out on the bed, Joey finished what he had started, and left Yami to sleep for the night. He shut the door behind him, and returned to the main room, glancing to the gun on the chair. He figured that since it belonged to Yami, he should let Yami decide what he wanted to do with it, and placed it in a drawer for safe keeping. He then gladly fell back on the sofa, and let his head drop over the side, getting comfortable in his new bed for the night.

******************************End of chapter 1*******************************

It's the end of the world, if you're a human.

Let's hope Yami's world don't end too soon no?

Review if you like!


	2. Chapter 2

I think I'm gonna like being gritty.

Oh I think I'll like it a lot.

* * *

Chapter 2~

With the sound of honking cars, Yami was disturbed from his sleep early, forcing his weak eyes to open. He was perplexed by the boxed surroundings, but after a few moments of thought, Yami remembered the events of the previous night. As Yami sat himself up, he gave a groan as his neck rippled unpleasantly, causing his hand to massage it temporarily. Looking around the untidy and somewhat bleak room, Yami swung his legs off of the bed, and gave another groan.

His stomach swirled with a vicious storm, desperate to burst out of Yami's body, and making his body tense and begin to retch. Yami slapped his hand tightly over his mouth, determined to keep it shut no matter what, but his stomach had other ideas. Knowing that it was a futile plan, Yami rose to his feet, and hurried out of the bedroom.

Joey awoke a few moments later, and with a loud yawn, stretched his body out over the sofa. However, after refreshing himself from his sleep, he frowned as he heard noises from his apartment. It was grotesque and off-putting, but Joey got himself up from the sofa, and investigated the source of the noise. Joey stumbled tiredly to the bedroom door, though when looking inside, he found that the bed was empty. With a frown, Joey turned to the bathroom door, which seemed to house the strange noises.

Joey stood by the bathroom door, and waited for a few moments of silence, before knocking on the bathroom door.

"Yami? You okay in there?" Joey called through.

He was met with more disgusting noises, accompanied with heavy panting, but waited patiently for Yami to reply.

"I-I'm okay…" Yami groaned out.

"You don't sound good" Joey reasoned, leaning on the bathroom door "Can I come in?"

"N-No…I-I'll be out in a-"

Yami was overtaken by more retching, giving Joey an ample answer, and open the bathroom door regardless. Yami was knelt in front of the toilet, panting heavily to recapture his breath, while his stomach contents sat in the bowl of the toilet. Yami gave a weak look to Joey, before turning his head away, and rubbing his mouth against the back of his hand.

"S-Sorry…" Yami whimpered out a weak apology.

Joey let out a sigh, and stepped closer to Yami, kneeling down and rubbed his back lightly "S'alright mate, can't help feeling ill can we?" Yami gave a dismal nod, resting his body on the rim of the toilet, as he took deep and heavy breaths "You feeling better now?"

"A little…" Yami croaked.

"Well go get yourself a glass of water" Joey encouraged, holding Yami's shoulders, so he could pull him up to his feet "It'll help get rid of the taste, I'll clean up don't worry".

"Okay…" Though embarrassed and guilty of causing a mess in someone else's home, he was too feeble to argue or go against what Joey advised, so staggered out of the bathroom and to the kitchen.

While Joey tended to the vomit, Yami found himself a glass, and poured himself some cold water to drink. Yami took a sip from the glass, but instead of swallowing the liquid, Yami moved it around the inside of his mouth. With the putrid stench in his mouth, Yami turned to the sink, and spit out the water. Yami gave a groan at the remaining taste, flicking his tongue out in disgust, hoping to get rid of the taste. With little success, Yami gulped several more mouthfuls of water, washing out every part of his mouth.

Joey came to the kitchen when he was finished, watching Yami spit out the remains of his drink, and shudder in disgust.

"You alright?" Yami lifted his head, and gave a nod to the question, putting the glass aside "You'll feel a lot better as the day goes on".

"Doesn't make me feel better right now to be honest" Yami muttered, wiping away the lose drops of water.

"I hear ya, being sick makes you feel kinda fragile doesn't it?" Yami gave another dismal nod to agree, and rested himself against the counter, still recuperating his breath "I'm guessing it was both the food and what I did last night that did it, too much stress on your body and stuff".

"Maybe" Yami replied, rubbing over his numb neck once again.

"Still…you ain't dead, are ya?" Yami glanced to Joey, seeing him smile in a casual manner "I'm sorry for making you sick, but, I must have some sort of trust now, right?"

Yami gave an uncertain look to Joey, still apprehensive about trusting a vampire, even more so after the vile morning. Yami decided on answering the question, unsure himself, so turned his head away and stroked his sensitive stomach. Seeing Yami's quiet nature, Joey only gave a sigh, and faced back to the bedroom.

"Well, help yourself if you're hungry" Joey offered, and walked back to his bedroom "I gotta get ready for work".

"Yeah…thanks" Yami called out, and looked up to the kitchen cupboards, grimacing the idea of eating food after vomiting.

Unable to force himself to eat, Yami settled on making himself something to drink, taking advantage of the given electricity so he could make something warm. With the drink steaming away, Yami did not waste to drink it all, filling his empty stomach with warm substance. As Yami drank, Joey returned in a new set of clothes, though judging from the wrinkles in them they were hardly clean. Joey lightly played with the shoulders of his shirt, letting it drop suddenly, so it fit nicely over his chest. Caring little about his appearance, Joey turned to Yami, feeling more reassured that Yami was drinking something.

"So, what you going to be doing today?" Joey asked.

"Huh?"

"Well…you're welcome to stay and all, I was just wondering what you were planning on doing. If you do plan on something".

Yami gave a small hum, looking into the bottom of his cup, and watching the last remains swirl around the cylinder base.

"I…I don't know…" Yami answered.

Joey gave a hum, crossing his arms over his chest, as he thought for a few brief moments "There's not many schools in the city, what with everyone being an adult, so you can't finish school. But, I'm sure you know most of your education; you're like a year or so away from graduating right? That's probably enough to get you a job at least, not a decent one, but a job is a job these days".

"I-I'm not so sure…"

"It'll be fine. Actually" Joey held his chin, as a small grin came to his face "I know of a few vacancies, again not dreamy, but it'll do. Ah, that is, if you want a job that is".

"I don't know if I can work…"

"You'll be fine. You'll get your strength back in no time, so don't worry about that".

"No I mean…I-I haven't…had a proper education…"

Joey raised his brow, and turned to Yami "What do you mean?"

"Well…my home was…attacked" Yami explained, his hand rubbing his arm, as he recalled the painful memories "When I was a kid…s-so I left…and…hid in the streets".

"Right…how old were you?"

"Twelve".

Joey made a hiss like noise, rubbing the back of his head "Damn, that's like Junior high and High school you've missed out on. Now that is a problem" Joey gave a hum, briefly thinking to himself "Well, we'll think about that later when you're more up to it, okay? Just relax for today, don't want you to feel ill again".

"Yeah okay…"

"Well, uh, I have to go to work now" Joey moved closer to the door "If you plan on staying, I'll be coming back late, so don't bother about staying up for me. Oh" Joey then pointed to a small, chipped bowl by the door "If you want to go out, keys are there, alright?"

"Yeah, thanks".

"Okay, see you later Yami".

Yami watched as Joey gave one last wave, but shut the door behind him, leaving Yami alone in the apartment. With the freedom to do what he wished—and the ability to leave whenever he wished—Yami was left somewhat dumbfounded by the opportunity, and only further questioned himself about what to do. Though the outcome was unfortunately grotesque, Joey proved that he was somewhat reliable, and proved to be a better outcome than living on the streets. Still, the idea of claiming somewhere his home seemed uncomfortable, especially after living in isolation and fear for such a long time.

With a simple sigh, Yami glanced around the small apartment once more, looking for anything to fill the spare time he had. The apartment only had the essentials one would find in a home, lacking in any sort of entertainment, most presumably because Joey was at work most of his time. Yami left the kitchen so he could stand in front of the TV; the small electronic box looked like it had been pulled from the Second World War, with its wooden frame about to peel off, and a coat of dust settled on every stable edge. It made Yami cringe as he ran his finger over the top, gathering a thick collection at the tip of his finger, telling its neglect immediately.

Yami quickly wiped his hand on his trousers, and reached down to turn the TV on, hearing it hiss and spit as it powered up. After a few moments of warming up to power, the screen flickered on, presenting the last channel that was turned on. It seemed to be a chat show hosted by women, talking about women's issues, and other such gossip. Yami watched it for a few moments, before changing the channel, seeing what else the TV had to offer. Flitting between early morning chat shows, and old films, the only thing that mildly caught Yami's interest was the news. It was presented by a serious looking man, who spoke mainly about the accomplishments and success of others, with little actual news to speak. Regardless, it was more interesting than the idle chit chat the other shows provided, so stuck with the news, as he continued to wonder around the apartment.

With the news reporter presenting the stories of that day, Yami turned to the large window, and slid it open. The sounds of the traffic outside competed with the sound of the TV, seeing which one could make the loudest of noises, and shatter the silent ambience the apartment had. Yami found peace with the orchestra of noise, and found himself watching the traffic for about an hour or so, before returning to the inside of the apartment.

Giving another sigh and ponder about what to do, Yami's eyes turned to the pile of used clothes sitting in one corner, and raised his brow at the mess Joey left behind as a trail. Growing up in his small community, Yami had developed the trait of being efficient and tidy, something Joey seemed to lack. Yami walked over to the pile, peeling away each item of clothing, and checking on their current state. Some had food stains on them, while others had just simply been worn, and one had the blood stain from the shooting the previous night. Regardless of what adventure they had been through, they were all classed as dirty, and needed a good wash.

Yami scooped his arms underneath the bundle, forcing it to rest against his chest, and pick it up from the floor. As he searched around the rest of the apartment, Yami had found what he could do for the day, and provide some help to Joey along the way.

Making use of what he could find, Yami washed the clothes, and cleaned through the apartment. He hung drying clothes out on the balcony, and wiped over every surface in the house, only moderately paying attention to the TV as he did so. The work was long and surprisingly hard, forcing him to have regular breaks, catching up on some breath and to relax his body. He blamed it on his insufficient diet, that he did not have enough strength to do a clean out of an apartment, but he pressed on regardless. As the day went on, the apartment left behind its dirt clogged state behind, and became a fresh and spacious home to stay in.

It was much later in the night that Joey finally returned home. Opening the door, Joey let himself in, and shut the door behind him. As he took off his shoes, he looked around his apartment, giving a small frown as he tried to recognise the apartment. The small sheen every surface gave was foreign to him, and the empty space gave an agoraphobic feel, but was still pleasant to the eyes.

"Oh man" Joey whispered to himself, stepping further into the apartment, and running his hand over the counters "He cleans".

Hearing Joey return, Yami came out from the bedroom, watching Joey's surprised reaction "Welcome back".

Joey glanced to Yami, before inspecting the clean apartment again "Did you clean the whole place?" He queried.

"Yeah…it kept me busy all day. I-I didn't want to burden you too much, so…"

Joey chuckled quietly, still touching over every washed surface, and noticing the clearer coloured patches in the carpet where his clothes once was "Suppose you've worked yourself an appetite after doing all this, right?"

Yami placed a hand over his stomach, only realising the recent pain deep in his stomach, his body longing for food "Yeah…yeah I have…"

"I'll cook something for you then" Joey offered, quickly shrugging his jacket off, and tossing it to the sofa.

"You don't have to" Yami tried to reason.

"It's fine" Joey reassured, moving over to the kitchen, and searching through the cupboards "It's the least I can do to say thanks anyway; must've been a nightmare, am I right?"

At the joke, Yami managed to pull a small smile "Well…it wasn't as bad as the alley".

Joey laughed at Yami's response, but continued with the cooking, letting Yami relax for the first time that day. With Joey focusing on the cooking, and Yami sat patiently at the table, no conversation passed them. But once Joey had finished cooking, he placed the heated meal in front of Yami, catching his attention again.

"Enjoy" Joey said, sitting opposite Yami.

"Thanks" Yami pulled the meal closer, and began to eat it at a steady pace, not wanting to upset his stomach again. After taking a few mouthfuls, Yami looked up at Joey, noticing he was missing his meal "Aren't you going to eat?"

"Ah, no, I don't eat food like you do" Joey explained, sitting back in the seat "I eat…well…"

"Blood?"

"Well I was going to say that" Joey responded, draping his arm over the back of the chair "But that's not even in my diet these days".

"But I'm here…" Yami suggested, looking down at his plate as he did so, and take some more food to eat.

"Yeah well, I've learnt to live without it for a long time, I'm not gonna rip your neck apart anytime soon".

Yami only gave a small hum as a response, eating more of the meal, quelling his hungry stomach. Once he felt satisfied, and his stomach soothed down from its rage, he slowed the pace of his eating even more. Though he was full by a few mouthfuls, he pushed his limit, knowing that he had the chance to eat like a proper human for once.

"Say, Joey…" Yami began hesitantly "Why…why did you…do this?"

"This?" Joey repeated confused.

"You know…change".

"Oh" Joey chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head "Well it's kinda embarrassing, but, it was because of a girl".

"A girl?" Yami repeated sceptically "A…girl made you change who you were?"

"Yeah, I thought it would be enough to impress her" Joey gave a small shrug "Stupid really".

"So…was it worth it?"

"The girl? Nah. Living forever, I don't know yet. Suppose I'll have a long time to figure that out".

Yami gave a small nod, and continued to eat the meal, almost finishing it within a few mouthfuls "What about you?"

Yami looked up at Joey "Huh?"

"Well you said you had parents, do you have any other family?"

Yami shook his head "No. The only family I had were my parents…I'm sure that there's someone who I'm related to, I just don't know who they are…"

"In hiding I suppose?"

"Yeah. For a while at least".

Joey gave a sigh, rolling his head from side to side "Yeah. Wish I could say not everyone's a dickhead but…that'd be a lie. You finished?"

Yami looked down at his plate, only a few measly remains were left, and proved to be too difficult for Yami to eat. With a nod, Joey stood up from his seat, and took the plate away from Yami and into the kitchen.

"I'm sorry about your parents Yami" Joey continued, placing the plate in the sink, ready to be cleaned "I wish there was some way to make it up, but…"

Yami said nothing more on the subject, as his neck gave a numbing throb, causing him to gently run his fingers over his scar. He then gave a frown, and got up from his seat, joining Joey in the kitchen. Joey stayed at the sink, letting it fill slowly with water, and cover the plate.

"What…did you do to me by the way?" Yami asked, making Joey look up, and see him continue to rub his neck "My neck has been…feeling odd all day".

"You'll get used to it" Joey reassured, and turned the tap off.

"But, what did you do?"

Joey turned to Yami, a look of unease on his face "You'll…probably think it's disgusting, don't want you throwing up again".

"Why?" Yami felt his stomach drop suddenly at a thought "You didn't…?"

"No. Nothing like that" Joey rolled his eyes up in brief thought, but after giving a sigh, approached Yami and whispered in his ear.

As Joey explained the details quietly, Yami felt his mouth drop open, and after Joey pulled away gave a disgusted look to the blond.

"That's gross!" Yami exclaimed.

"I told you so" Joey remarked, crossing his arms over his chest "But trust me, it'll work".

"Mm, suppose" Yami mumbled, his hand stroking over his pierced neck "Does it have to be often?"

"No, maybe a couple of times a month" Joey explained, raising his brow when Yami gave a groan "Well do you want everyone in the city to drink you dry?"

"No" Yami replied, though still detested the idea.

While Yami continued to tend to the side of his neck, Joey reached out, and lightly tapped Yami's head with his hand. At the small action, Yami looked up at Joey, seeing his normal smile appear again.

"Come on, it's late and you've done a lot today, you should get some sleep" Joey suggested.

"Sure, but…where will I sleep?"

"My bed, where else?"

"I-I don't want you to…"

"Relax, I have eternity to recover from bad sleep. Don't worry about me, just get some sleep okay?"

"Okay" Yami turned to walk to the bedroom, but before he disappeared, turned to Joey "Thanks…Joey".

"Anytime kid, get some good sleep".

"Alright, night Joey" Yami carried on to the bedroom, and shut the door behind him, allowing himself some privacy.

Alone in the darkened bedroom, Yami began taking off his clothes, stripping himself down to his underwear. Setting his clothes aside, Yami slipped into the bed, and got himself comfortable for sleep. With the sound of the night city, and his stomach heavy with a decent meal, sleep was easy to come by for the teen. As his eyes drifted shut, Yami wondered if the path he took in life was a right choice, living with someone whose kin destroyed his home. But Joey was not like anyone else he had met, he had proved himself to be trusted, and was seemingly kind and generous to be with.

Before he fell asleep, Yami asked his parents for forgiveness, knowing that staying with Joey was his only option.

********************************End of chapter 2*****************************

Just a little backstory before we kick things off.

And believe me, it'll be like kicking a bomb. Err. I think.

Review and stay tuned for the next chapter!


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